Mariner 9

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After the pair of probes, Mariner 6 and 7, NASA planned to send another pair of probes to Mars. Mariner 8 and 9 were to go to Mars to begin the systematic mapping of 70% of the Martian surface. Unfortunately, Mariner 8 was destroyed as it fell into the Atlantic Ocean when its launch rocket failed. Quickly, Mariner 9 was adjusted to take the job of both probes, and was finally launched in May of 1971.

Besides just mapping the surface of Mars, Mariner 9 also took measurements to determine the atmosphere composition and structure, the planet's photography, and global temperatures for Mars. Soon, after its 167 day, 400 million mile journey, it arrived at Mars and was shifted into its 12 hour orbit.

However, when Mariner 9 arrived at Mars, a global dust storm blocked out the entire surface. The first images Mariner 9 sent back were of a completely blank disk, the only recognizable features were the ice caps at the poles. Fortunately, the computer was flexible enough that it could be programmed to shutdown temporarily. This would conserve power as Mariner 9 simply waited the storm out.

Soon, the dust storm on Mars started to fade out. When Mariner 9 was reactivated, it could see the tops of four of Mars' tallest mountains. All of these had large indentations on the top, suggesting that there might be volcanoes on Mars. Soon, as the dust settled almost completely, the probe began to systematically map the entire surface.

In the new, more detailed pictures that Mariner 9 provided, scientists could see many new features on Mars besides just craters. They saw many features that seemed to be created through water erosion, like rivers and even lakes. In fact, the surface looked almost as if it were an Earth-like planet that was covered by craters.

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